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BackgroundAnimal and human studies have demonstrated that the saffron and the active components of saffron, including crocin, crocetin, and safranal, possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. In this meta-analysis, the preclinical evidence and potential mechanism of saffron were explored in an animal model of ovalbumin-induced asthma.MethodsStudies related to saffron and its constituents in an animal model of ovalbumin-induced asthma from the beginning to March 2024 were searched from Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the 15-item CAMARADES checklist. Data analysis was performed using STATA software version 17.ResultsThirteen studies with 536 animals (268 animals in the intervention group and 268 animals in the ovalbumin-induced group) were analyzed. The meta-analysis findings demonstrated that saffron and its constituents played a significant role in reducing total WBC, eosinophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts. Moreover, saffron showed a significant decrease in the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgE, histamine, endothelin, nitric oxide, and nitrite. Moreover, saffron was found to elevate EC50 thresholds and lower maximum response rates in experimental animals. The analysis revealed a significant identification of modulation in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers and miRNAs pathways.ConclusionSaffron and its components may impact ovalbumin-induced asthma model in animals through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory pathways, as well as improving pulmonary function and modulating ER stress markers and miRNAs pathways. As a result, saffron should be considered for further clinical trials in individuals suffering from asthma.

Introduction Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Ber fruit, is a tropical fruit from the Rhamnaceae family with high nutritional value and a short shelf life. Edible coatings the surface of the fruit can play a positive role in increasing its shelf life. The application of alginate (Al), a linear polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed (Macrocystis pyrifera), which has the advantage of moisture retention, and also Shirazi thyme (Zataria multiflora) essential oil (ZEO), which contains antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds, can improve the fruit's characteristics and preserve its quality for a longer period. In recent years, the application of ZEO together with organic coatings in order to enhance the quality characteristics of different fruits during storage has been the focus of researchers. This study aims to investigate the effect of alginate coating and ZEO on the post-harvest and physicochemical characteristics of Ber fruit during storage at 6±1 C˚ and a relative humidity of 90-95%. Material and Methods This study was conducted to enhance the shelf life of Ber fruits by treating them with alginate (Al) and Shirazi thyme essential oil (ZEO). Ber fruits at their mature green stage were harvested in 2022 from a commercial orchard in Minab, Hormozgan province. After harvesting, the fruits were transported to the Horticulture Laboratory University of Hormozgan, to apply the treatments. Factors include six treatments (control, Shirazi thyme essential oil 0.5%, Shirazi thyme essential oil 1%, alginate, alginate + Shirazi thyme essential oil 0.5% and alginate + Shirazi thyme essential oil 1%) and five storage periods(zero, 7, 14, 21, 28 days). The treated fruits were then stored at 6±1 C˚, and relative humidity of 90-95% for 28 days. The factorial experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with four replications, and ten fruits were used in each replication. Fruit parameters such as fruit weight loss, respiration rate, total soluble solids (TSS), organic acid, ascorbic acid, fruit firmness, carotenoids, and chlorophyll content were evaluated. Statistical analysis of data was done using SAS software. Figures were drawn using Excel software. Results and Discussion Based on the results of the analysis of variance, the main effects of time and treatment were significant (P

The effect of geocell-reinforced cushion on load distribution and settlement reduction in unconnected piled raft foundations was investigated. Modeling and analysis of various scenarios were carried out using Abaqus software. In this research, a total of nine models, including one connected, three unconnected and unreinforced, and five unconnected and reinforced with geocell, were analyzed. Cushions with thicknesses half of, equal to, and twice that of the foundation were used. The results have shown that optimal outcomes in terms of load distribution efficiency and settlement reduction are achieved when the cushion's stiffness is set at half that of the foundation. The obtained results demonstrate the positive effect of geocell reinforcement in enhancing the performance of unconnected piled raft foundations. The introduction of geocells into the models increases soil stiffness and pile load ratio, consequently enhancing the load-bearing capacity of the piled raft foundation compared to the unreinforced models. The study's findings pave the way for a more effective use of geocells in civil engineering applications, particularly in scenarios demanding high load-bearing capacity and minimal foundation settlement.

Objective: In traditional medicine, Stachys lavandulifolia or mountain tea has been used in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A leaf extract from this plant is also thought to be effective in treating epilepsy as well as other neurological ailments. To assess the effect of S. lavandulifolia extract (SLE), rats were exposed to a stress and anxiety model caused by seizures. Materials and Methods: A challenge dose of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) (60 mg/kg) was used to induce seizures in male Wistar rats (200–250 g). Animal treated with an intraperitoneal injection of either SLE (50 mg/kg) or sodium valproate (100 mg/kg) alone or in combination 30 min before PTZ challenge. The effect of stress and anxiety was assessed using an open field test (OFT), forced swim test (FST), and elevated plus maze (EPM). At the end of the experiment, anesthesia was used to euthanize rats, and their blood serum was collected for measurements of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and GSH peroxidase (GPx). Results: In contrast to the control group, those treated with PTZ exhibited depressive behavior. At 50 mg/kg, SLE provided protection against seizures induced by PTZ. SLE also reduced seizure-induced stress and anxiety, significantly improving FST, EPM, and OFT compared with the PTZ-treated group. By decreasing MDA levels and restoring the antioxidant enzymes GSH and GPx, SLE treatment protects against seizure-induced anxiety and stress. Conclusions: SLE inhibits oxidative stress damage and seizure-induced stress by inhibiting seizures' inhibitory effects.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been ascertained useful in the analysis and description of infectious areas in radiological images promptly. Our aim in this study was to design a web-based application for detecting and labeling infected tissues on CT (computed tomography) lung images of patients based on the deep learning (DL) method as a type of AI. Materials and Methods: The U-Net architecture, one of the DL networks, is used as a hybrid model with pre-trained densely connected convolutional network 121 (DenseNet121) architecture for the segmentation process. The proposed model was constructed on 1031 persons' CT-scan images from Ibn Sina Hospital of Iran in 2021 and some publicly available datasets. The network was trained using 6000 slices, validated on 1000 slices images, and tested against the 150 slices. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) were calculated to evaluate model performance. Results: The results indicate the acceptable ability of the U-Net-DenseNet121 model in detecting COVID-19 abnormality (accuracy = 0.88 and AUC = 0.96 for thresholds of 0.13 and accuracy = 0.88 and AUC = 0.90 for thresholds of 0.2). Based on this model, we developed the“Imaging-Tech” web-based application for use at hospitals and clinics to make our project's output more practical and attractive in the market. Conclusion: We designed a DL-based model for the segmentation of COVID-19 CT scan images and, based on this model, constructed a web-based application that, according to the results, is a reliable detector for infected tissue in lung CT-scans. The availability of such tools would aid in automating, prioritizing, fastening, and broadening the treatment of COVID-19 patients globally.

Nowadays, given the numerous disease problems that have arisen in shrimp farms, the utilization of nutritional supplements to strengthen the immune response and controlling the common diseases in dense shrimp farming have been highly regarded. So, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of basic diet formulated with different levels of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (25, 50 and 100g/kg) and ethanolic extract (0.25, 0.5 and 1g/kg) in seven treatments each with three replicates on the expression of immune genes in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. After 8 weeks, the mRNA expression of four immune genes, including alpha-2-macroglobulin (α2M), Lipopolysaccharide and B1,3-glucan binding protein (LGBP), Peroxinectin (PX) and integrinß, were measured in the hepatopancreas using Real-time PCR technique. The results showed a statistically significant differences in the expression levels of the α2M, LGBP, PX genes in all treatments (p

Reverse saturation current of diodes is a very small value which cannot be measured with normal measurement devices. In this paper, a simple method to measure the reverse saturation current of diodes is proposed. Then the emission coefficient is calculated with the aid of forward biased region of I-V characteristics. The model extracted with the aid of proposed method shows good agreement with the I-V characteristics of device under test in laboratory experiments.

Objective:Mountain tea with the scientific moniker of Stachys lavandulifolia has been used in traditional medicine for osteoarthritis and rheumatic disorders. Its leaf extract has also been adopted to treat epilepsy and other central nervous system disorders. To evaluate the effect of S. lavandulifolia extract, the experimental model of memory impairment caused by seizures was performed in rats.Methods:Seizures in male Wistar rats (200–250 g) were induced with a challenge dose (60 mg/kg) of pentylenetetrazole. Animals were treated with either S. lavandulifolia extract (50 mg/kg) or sodium valproate (100 mg/kg) alone or in combination intraperitoneally 30 minutes before pentylenetetrazole administration. The rate of memory was assessed using the passive avoidance test. At the end of the experiments, the rats were put down painlessly via deep anesthesia, and their blood sera were isolated to assess antioxidative factors such as nitric oxide, catalase, and superoxide dismutase.Results:Pentylenetetrazole-treated group revealed a memory deficit compared with the control group. S. lavandulifolia extract exhibited protection at the dose of 50 mg/kg in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures. S. lavandulifolia extract also reduced seizure-induced memory impairment, which resulted in a significant improvement in memory retrieval in passive avoidance compared with the pentylenetetrazole-treated group. In addition, S. lavandulifolia extract treatment protects the seizure-induced memory deficit by lowering nitric oxide levels and restoring the antioxidant enzyme catalase and superoxide dismutase level.Conclusion:The findings revealed that S. lavandulifolia extract exhibits significant inhibitory activity and impedes memory impairment by inhibiting oxidative stress damage.

This paper presents the PLC-Based system for controlling the SCR power module which is AC–DC converter proposes to linearity output voltage with trigger signal. The technique converted the trigger signal by arccosine function and analog module in the PLC. Converted signal from PLC system is fed to SCR power module instant the traditional signal. Proposed of this paper describes the PLC hardware configuration, compute/math and trigonometric functions with Studio 5000 software. In addition, the interfacing, parameters configuration, and monitoring are considered for testing. The technique with PLC-based, devices configuration and experimental results have been presented will be useful for electric power supply in the industry with more and more demand to apply the PLC system to develop the traditional industry to semi or automatic control in the industry.

System integration for process automation promoted the technologies that were accessed to functions and data of field device, controller, and SCADA system. In addition, the data from filed devices can apply to solve device diagnostic and preventive maintenance. This paper describes the practical technique to configure and implement of control and SCADA system that focus on integration of field device, PLC controller, and SCADA system. The paper presents case study of Allen-Bradley (AB) PLC by using WirelessHART device to temperature control and device diagnostic through SCADA system. PLC’s input/output (I/O) modules are installed that consists of Modbus module, digital I/O module, analog I/O module. In addition, Prosoft configuration builder and Studio 5000 software are new software to build add on Modbus instruction and ladder diagrams, respectively. The experiments perform in case study of temperature control by using Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) function in the AB PLC. Wonderware InTouch SCADA software is implemented to monitor the process mimic, trend, and alarm. Moreover, the technique can support the operators and engineers to make decision for process control and devices diagnostic.

Thermoelectric energy harvesting is the concept to convert thermal energies in an electric power. For the thermoelectric energy harvesting, a single inductor dc/dc converter using a negative Dickson multiplier is presented in this research. By merging a negative Dickson multiplier into a buck-boost converter, high voltage gain, flexible output tuning, and small power loss are attained by the proposed topology. Moreover, fewer number of switch drivers and simpler switching control are achieved than conventional hybrid boost converters, because the proposed converter with a single inductor has only one transistor switch. Through theoretical analysis, a characteristic investigation is performed regarding an example of the proposed converter with 6 diodes, 6 capacitors, a MOS-switch and an inductor, where simple formulas to clarify the converter characteristics are derived by utilizing a four-port model. Furthermore, we justify the efficacy of the proposed topology by performing the comparison among hybrid dc/dc converters with a single inductor, namely, the hybrid converter using a voltage doubler and the hybrid converter using a Cockcroft–Walton multiplier. In the comparison, computer simulations using a SPICE simulator reveal that the proposed converter achieve the best performance the compared converters. Specifically, the efficiency of the proposed converter with three multiplier stages reaches about 84% when the voltage gain is 6 and the output power is 2 W. Furthermore, some experiments verify the possibility of realization by assembling the proposed converter with three multiplier stages on a printed circuit board (PCB). In laboratory tests, maximum power efficiency of 85% and the maximum voltage gain of 6.4 are measured.

Background: Gender Dysphoria (GD) affects the personality, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and metacognitive systems of individuals, and people with GD are more susceptible to psychological disorders. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness group training on the hope and resilience of people with GD. Materials & Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up design and a control group. The study population comprised all people with GD visiting the State Welfare Organization of Shiraz in 2020. The sample consisted of 30 people suffering from GD, selected by convenience sampling method. We randomly divided the participants into experimental and control groups (n=15 per group). The experimental group underwent eight sessions (90-minute sessions per week) of mindfulness group training. The research instruments included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Miller Hope Scale. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The mean age of participants was 31.49±9.19 years and 47% were male. Participants in the mindfulness group training showed significant improvement in the scores of hope (P=0.04) and resilience (P=0.03) compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings indicated that mindfulness training using techniques such as mindful thoughts, emotions, and behavior can serve as an effective therapy to increase the level of hope and resilience in people with GD.

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare thromboembolic condition. It involves the right ovarian vein in 70–80% of cases. The risk factors for the development of OVT are pregnancy or puerperium, hormone therapy with estrogen, recent surgery or hospitalization, malignancy, pelvic inflammatory diseases, thrombophilia and idiopathic OVT. We present a rare case of left OVT in a young, non-pregnant woman in her 30 s. A high degree of suspicion is necessitated in patients with the triad of young-middle-aged female, pain abdomen in lower quadrant and hematuria to diagnose OVT. Contrast enhanced computer tomography (CT-venography) is the diagnostic modality of choice. The patient was initially treated with low molecular weight heparin and then switched to direct oral anticoagulants. At 6-monthsfollow-up the patient was free from any symptoms.

A novel, simple to apply, and economic buckling restrainer system is introduced for steel plate shear walls. The shear wall panel is restrained by parallel non-welded channel restrainers, which are installed on both sides of the steel panel. A set of experiments were designed to examine improvement in the seismic performance of the shear wall due to the application of the proposed restrainer system. Three 1/4-scale down single-story single-bay steel panel specimens including one panel without and two panels with different number of restainers are subjected to cyclic loading. The behavior of steel panel with and without the restrainers is assessed in terms of initial stiffness, ultimate loading capacity, stiffness/strength degradation, and energy dissipation capacity. The use of the proposed restrainer system significantly improves the energy dissipation capacity of the shear wall and this enhancement is increasing at larger drifts. Employing the proposed restrainer system, there is only a slight increase in the ultimate loading capacity, and at the same time, a significant increase in the initial stiffness of the shear wall. No strength degradation is observed for the range of the drifts up to 5%. A design recommendation for the sizing of the parallel restrainer components is also included.

The growing possibilities of non-invasive heart rate and blood pressure measurement with mobile devices allow vital data to be continuously collected and used to assess patients’ health status. When it comes to the risk assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), the continuous tracking of blood pressure and heart rate could enable a more patient-specific approach. The use of a load function and an energy function, with continuous blood pressure, heart rate, and aneurysm stiffness as input parameters, can quantify dynamic load on AAA. We hypothesise that these load functions correlate with aneurysm growth and outline a possible study procedure in which the hypothesis could be tested for validity. Subsequently, uncertainty quantification of input quantities and derived quantities is performed.

This paper presents an inductor-less multilevel inverter (MLI) with a 13-level ac output. The proposed MLI consists of only 11 switches, 2 capacitors, and 2 input sources. Owing to the inductor-less symmetrical topology, the proposed MLI can reduce the component count in comparison of conventional MLIs. This leads to reduction of power loss and hardware cost. To clarify the effectiveness of the proposed MLI, the characteristic evaluation is given in detail. Some computer-based simulations in SPICE simulator environment as well as breadboard-based experimental tests are conducted concerning the proposed 13-level inverter. In the performed simulations, the power efficiency of the proposed MLI reaches about 85% and 88% at 1 kW in the case of a sinusoidal output and a triangular output, respectively. The proposed MLI improves power efficiency more than 2.5% comparing with the conventional K-type MLI when the output power is 1 kW. Furthermore, the experimental result proves the physical feasibility of the proposed topology by demonstrating the 13-level ac output.

This paper presents a novel light emitting diode (LED) sink driver with a high voltage gain for LED-based lighting applications. Unlike conventional LED sink drivers, the proposed driver has the nested switched-inductor/switched capacitor (SI/SC) topology consisting of an SI buck-boost converter block and a nesting-type SC cell. Owing to the nested SI/SC topology, the proposed driver offers not only a high voltage gain but also a flexible controllability of the LED currents and transformer-less structure. The effectiveness of the proposed driver is justified by some simulation results in SPICE software environment and laboratory experimental tests. In the performed simulations, the proposed driver in comparison of conventional drivers improved almost 6% power efficiency when the output power was 500 mW. Furthermore, in the performed experiments, the feasibility of the proposed topology is confirmed by demonstrating a high voltage gain and the output controllability.

For vibration energy harvesting, we propose a multiple-input single-output (MISO) step-up ac/dc converter with bipolar structure in this paper. Unlike existing ac/dc converters for vibration energy harvesting, the proposed ac/dc converter features a bipolar MISO topology that transforms several vibration inputs to provide a step-up voltage. Furthermore, the proposed topology enables inductor-less designs. To clarify the effectiveness of the proposed converter, some computer simulations as well as breadboard-based experimental tests are performed. In the performed simulations, the voltage gain of the proposed converter with 2 modules reaches about 3.5 at 20mW and the power efficiency is about 92% at 20mW when the ac input is 3.5V at 50Hz. Furthermore, the physical feasibility of the proposed topology is proved by the breadboard-based experimental tests.

To equalize the imbalance in the state-of-charge (SoC) of lithium-ion cells, we propose a novel inductor-less cross-coupled voltage equalizer for series-connected batteries. Unlike existing symmetrical voltage equalizers using diode switches, the proposed voltage equalizer can balance the voltage of battery cells without a threshold voltage drop, because the diode-less design is realized by the cross-coupled structure. The performance of the proposed voltage equalizer is clarified by theoretical analysis, computer simulations, and breadboard-based experimental tests. The computer simulations and experiments reveal that the proposed voltage equalizer outperforms conventional inductor-less voltage equalizers.

This paper presents a technique to measure and collect maintenance data for remote monitor of high voltage transformer. The technique installs field instruments to measure winding temperature, cooling-oil temperature, inner pressure, electrical power, and so on. IoT2040 is applied for acquisition (DAQ), processing unit and smart gateway. It converts field data into information that enables for real time monitoring and preventive maintenance applications. This technique can transform time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance. In addition, the proposed script functions are created based on failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify alarm and alert conditions. Consideration alarm-referenced parameters that are diagnostic, performance/efficiency analysis relate to operation or communication conditions also assign by script functions. The relevant data from IoT2040 can be transmitted to the local computer as well as a remote-mobile devices running the dashboard with Ubidots server. Ubidots server is responsible for HMI and delivering specific alarm and alert services to the user. Users can access for remote monitoring by smart phone, tablet, laptop, and PC. The experiment performs by simulation with 3 phase Oil immersed distribution transformer. Electrical specification is 50 Hz 250 kVA, 22 kV, 400/230 V. The results shown the assigned data, dashboard, and notices message that notices relate the FMEA scripts. The technique provides early warning detection of transformer statuses that make opportunity to take corrective action to prevent failure.

OBJECTIVES:. To describe the prevalence, associated risk factors, and outcomes of serious neurologic manifestations (encephalopathy, stroke, seizure, and meningitis/encephalitis) among patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. DESIGN:. Prospective observational study. SETTING:. One hundred seventy-nine hospitals in 24 countries within the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study COVID-19 Registry. PATIENTS:. Hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. INTERVENTIONS:. None. RESULTS:. Of 16,225 patients enrolled in the registry with hospital discharge status available, 2,092 (12.9%) developed serious neurologic manifestations including 1,656 (10.2%) with encephalopathy at admission, 331 (2.0%) with stroke, 243 (1.5%) with seizure, and 73 (0.5%) with meningitis/encephalitis at admission or during hospitalization. Patients with serious neurologic manifestations of COVID-19 were older with median (interquartile range) age 72 years (61.0–81.0 yr) versus 61 years (48.0–72.0 yr) and had higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions, including vascular risk factors. Adjusting for age, sex, and time since the onset of the pandemic, serious neurologic manifestations were associated with more severe disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.49; p < 0.001) as defined by the World Health Organization ordinal disease severity scale for COVID-19 infection. Patients with neurologic manifestations were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (OR, 1.45; p < 0.001) and require critical care interventions (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: OR, 1.78; p = 0.009 and renal replacement therapy: OR, 1.99; p < 0.001). Hospital, ICU, and 28-day mortality for patients with neurologic manifestations was higher (OR, 1.51, 1.37, and 1.58; p < 0.001), and patients had fewer ICU-free, hospital-free, and ventilator-free days (estimated difference in days, –0.84, –1.34, and –0.84; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:. Encephalopathy at admission is common in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and is associated with worse outcomes. While serious neurologic manifestations including stroke, seizure, and meningitis/encephalitis were less common, all were associated with increased ICU support utilization, more severe disease, and worse outcomes.

OBJECTIVES:. To describe hospital variation in use of “guideline-based care” for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19. DESIGN:. Retrospective, observational study. SETTING:. The Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Discovery Viral Infection and RESPIRATORY ILLNESS UNIVERSAL STUDY COVID-19 REGISTRY. PATIENTS:. Adult patients with ARDS due to COVID-19 between February 15, 2020, and April 12, 2021. INTERVENTIONS:. Hospital-level use of “guideline-based care” for ARDS including low-tidal-volume ventilation, plateau pressure less than 30 cm H2O, and prone ventilation for a Pao2/Fio2 ratio less than 100. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. Among 1,495 adults with COVID-19 ARDS receiving care across 42 hospitals, 50.4% ever received care consistent with ARDS clinical practice guidelines. After adjusting for patient demographics and severity of illness, hospital characteristics, and pandemic timing, hospital of admission contributed to 14% of the risk-adjusted variation in “guideline-based care.” A patient treated at a randomly selected hospital with higher use of guideline-based care had a median odds ratio of 2.0 (95% CI, 1.1–3.4) for receipt of “guideline-based care” compared with a patient receiving treatment at a randomly selected hospital with low use of recommended therapies. Median-adjusted inhospital mortality was 53% (interquartile range, 47–62%), with a nonsignificantly decreased risk of mortality for patients admitted to hospitals in the highest use “guideline-based care” quartile (49%) compared with the lowest use quartile (60%) (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.3–1.9; p = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS:. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, only half of patients received “guideline-based care” for ARDS management, with wide practice variation across hospitals. Strategies that improve adherence to recommended ARDS management strategies are needed.

Introduction: This study evaluated microleakage of flowable and conventional composite in primary molar class II restorations using self-etch and total-etch bonding agents. Methods: Class II standard cavities were prepared on proximal surface of 48 primary molars. These cavities were restored using GrandioFlow and Grandio composites and Futurabond DC and Solobond M as bonding agents. Teeth apices were sealed by wax and two-layer nail varnish was applied up to 1mm of restoration margins. Samples were subjected to thermocycling, stained by silver nitrate solution and sectioned mesiodistally. Microleakage was measured from the tooth-restoration margin to end point of dye penetration using a stereomicroscope with a 0-3 scale. Microleakage scores were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test in 4 groups and paired comparisons were performed using Monte Carlo test. Results: Microleakage was seen in all composite and bonding agent groups. Pairwise comparison showed no significant difference regarding the microleakage between groups ( P>0.05) . Conclusion: Gradioflow as a flowable composite and Futurabond DC as a self-etch bonding agent both showed acceptable results in regard to microleakage. Considering the ease of application of flowable composites compared to conventional ones and shortening the treatment both flowable composites and self-etch bonding agentshave showed promising results in pediatric dentistry

Solmaz Ohadian Moghadam,1 Davoud Afshar,2 Mohammad Reza Nowroozi,1 Amir Behnamfar,1 Amirreza Farzin1 1Uro-Oncology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Microbiology and Virology, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, IranCorrespondence: Solmaz Ohadian MoghadamUro-Oncology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranTel/ Fax +98 21 66 43 77 25Email s-ohadian@sina.tums.ac.irPurpose: Given the importance of treatment failure due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, studies on population structure of these organisms are necessary to improve control strategies. Accordingly, the current study aimed to determine the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) at a teaching referral hospital in Iran and to analyze their molecular clonality by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for epidemiological purposes.Methods: In this study, modified Hodge test (MHT) and double-disk synergy test (DDST) were used for carbapenemase production and metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) screening, respectively. All P. aeruginosa isolates were tested for antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, MBL genes (blaIMP, blaVIM, blaSPM, blaNDM) were detected by multiplex PCR assay.Results: Among 68 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, 38 (55.88%) isolates were CRPA. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed that most of these isolates were MDR. PFGE analyses showed 5 common types and 27 single types among CRPA isolates. MLST analysis revealed three major clusters (MLST-sequence types (STs): 235, 357, and 861) among them. The 30 non-CRPA isolates corresponded mainly to MLST-STs 253, 360, and 446.Conclusion: Our results showed that internationally distributed MLST-STs with widely genomic diversity have spread in our hospital, and clonal expansion of MDR strains of P. aeruginosa was described as well.Keywords: carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, CRPA, carbapenemase, metallo-β-lactamases, MBLs, multidrug-resistant, MDR, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, multilocus sequence typing, MLST, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PFGE

Background and objective: Epilepsy one the most prevalent neurological illness which affects behavioral statuses like anxiety, depression and balance. Based on the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Tanacetum polycephalum, its effect on anxiety and depression caused by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindling in rats was investigated. Methods : In order to prepare the required extract, aerial part of the Tanacetum was powdered (100 g) and macerated in 1 L of ethanol (80%) for 24 h. Twenty-four rats were randomly assigned to four groups: PTZ (sub-threshold dose 35 mg/kg for one month, intraperitoneal (i.p)), PTZ + phenobarbital (30 mg/kg, i.p), PTZ + Tanacetum extract (300 mg/kg, i.p), and PTZ + Tanacetum extract (600 mg/kg, i.p). Elevated plus maze (EPM), forced swim test (FST) and rotarod test were employed to assess the anxiety parameters, antidepressant and balance potential, respectively. Results: Tanacetum extract administered at the doses of 300, and 600 mg/kg, exert antidepressant-like activity in the FST test and reduced the immobility time. In the EPM test, Tanacetum extract at the same doses produced anxiolytic-like effects. Also, the rats which received Tanacetum extract showed a significant improvement in the rotarod test in contrast to the PTZ group. Conclusion: The finding from current study showed that Tanacetum could ameliorate neurobehavioral parameters of anxiety and depression in the PTZ-kindled rats.

Abstract Background Tretinoin or all-trans retinoic acid is used in the treatment of acne vulgaris and photo-aging. This work aims to develop tretinoin-loaded nanofibers as a potential anti-acne patch and to investigate its physicochemical characteristics. Method Nanofibers were produced via electrospinning method and surface topography was evaluated by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The functional groups of polymer and the drug molecule and the possible interactions were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Drug release studies were carried out by total immersion method at 25 °C and 32 °C. Tretinoin stability was evaluated at room temperature and fridge for 45 days. The possibility of synergistic antibacterial activity of tretinoin and erythromycin combination was investigated on Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC® 25923™) and (ATCC® 29213™) by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results Uniform fibers without drug crystals were fabricated via electrospinning. Drug-loaded nanofibers show inherent stability under various storage conditions. Electrospun nanofibers showed a prolonged release of tretinoin. The stability of formulations in FT was higher than RT. Disc diffusion tests did not show any synergism in the antibacterial activity of erythromycin when used in combination with tretinoin. Conclusion It can be anticipated that the easy fabrication, low costs and dosing frequency of the construct reported here provide a platform that can be adapted for on-demand delivery of tretinoin. Graphical abstract

Abstract Background and objectives: Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone regulating the metabolism of calcium in the body. For many years calcitonin has been used to maintain and improve bone mineral density and to reduce the fracture rate. Many studies showed that calcitonin had analgesic role in several painful circumstances. This pain-ameliorating effect is irrelevant to its osteoclastic inhibitory effect and mechanisms like altering Na+ channel and serotonin receptor expression or hypothesis including the endorphin-mediated mechanism were used to explain this effect. In this study we performed a thorough review on the role of calcitonin as an analgesic agent in different scenarios and investigated the fact that calcitonin can be a feasible medication to relieve pain. Method: Many studies focused on the analgesic effect of calcitonin in several painful circumstances, including acute pains related to vertebral fractures, metastasis, migraine and reflex sympathetic dystrophy as well as neuropathic pains related to spinal injuries or diabetes, and phantom pain. Also, calcitonin was showed to be a useful additive to local anesthesia in the case of controlling postoperative pain or trigeminal neuralgia more effectively. However we faced some contradictory data for conditions like lumbar canal stenosis, complex regional pain syndrome, phantom pain and malignancies. Conclusion: This study showed that calcitonin could be helpful analgesic agent in different painful situations. Calcitonin can be considered an eligible treatment for acute pains related to vertebral fractures and a feasible alternative for the treatment of the acute and chronic neuropathic pains where other medications might fail.

Wind energy technologies are being developed in order to reduce the costs of the generated electricity and increasing technological performance. Therefore, understanding the technological development paths is an important part of the debates among technology developers and policymakers of energy systems. Due to recognize the wind technology orientation, the published patents in wind technology have been analyzed. Five groups of technology have been found, and the result of technological trends and life cycles for each one has been discussed. In order to clarify the main issues in each technology domain, a cluster dendrogram of frequent keywords in each domain through text analysis has been drawn. Text analysis of all published patents illustrated that controlling pitch and larger blade design are the most frequent words in the “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines” domains respectively. Two main domains of technology have been considered a lot in patents, “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines”. In the next step, the technological life cycles of all five domains have been discussed. In spite of the number of published patents in “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines” domains, “nacelle” is in the maturity stage. Keywords: Technological life cycle, Technology orientation, Wind energy, Patent analysis, Text analysis

Background and objectives: Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone regulating the metabolism of calcium in the body. For many years calcitonin has been used to maintain and improve bone mineral density and to reduce the fracture rate. Many studies showed that calcitonin had analgesic role in several painful circumstances. This pain-ameliorating effect is irrelevant to its osteoclastic inhibitory effect and mechanisms like altering Na+ channel and serotonin receptor expression or hypothesis including the endorphin-mediated mechanism were used to explain this effect. In this study we performed a thorough review on the role of calcitonin as an analgesic agent in different scenarios and investigated the fact that calcitonin can be a feasible medication to relieve pain. Method: Many studies focused on the analgesic effect of calcitonin in several painful circumstances, including acute pains related to vertebral fractures, metastasis, migraine and reflex sympathetic dystrophy as well as neuropathic pains related to spinal injuries or diabetes, and phantom pain. Also, calcitonin was showed to be a useful additive to local anesthesia in the case of controlling postoperative pain or trigeminal neuralgia more effectively. However we faced some contradictory data for conditions like lumbar canal stenosis, complex regional pain syndrome, phantom pain and malignancies. Conclusion: This study showed that calcitonin could be helpful analgesic agent in different painful situations. Calcitonin can be considered an eligible treatment for acute pains related to vertebral fractures and a feasible alternative for the treatment of the acute and chronic neuropathic pains where other medications might fail. Resumo: Justificativa e objetivos: A calcitonina é um hormônio polipeptídico que regula o metabolismo do cálcio no organismo. Por muitos anos a calcitonina tem sido usada para manter e melhorar a densidade mineral óssea e reduzir a incidência de fraturas. Muitos estudos mostraram que a calcitonina teve efeito analgésico em várias condições físicas de dor. Esse efeito de melhoria da dor é irrelevante diante de seu efeito inibidor osteoclástico e de mecanismos, tais como a alteração do canal de Na+ e da expressão do receptor de serotonina, incluindo a hipótese do mecanismo mediado pela endorfina, que foram usados para explicar esse efeito. Neste estudo, fizemos uma revisão completa sobre o papel da calcitonina como agente analgésico em diferentes cenários e investigamos o fato de que a calcitonina pode ser uma medicação viável para aliviar a dor. Método: Muitos estudos centraram no efeito analgésico da calcitonina em várias condições de dor, incluindo dores agudas relacionadas a fraturas vertebrais, metástases, enxaqueca e distrofia simpática reflexa, bem como dores neuropáticas relacionadas a lesões medulares ou ao diabetes e dor fantasma. Além disso, a calcitonina mostrou ser um aditivo útil à anestesia local para o controle mais efecaz da dor pós-operatória ou neuralgia do trigêmeo. Porém, nos deparamos com alguns dados contraditórios em condições como estenose do canal lombar, síndrome complexa da dor regional, dor fantasma e malignidades. Conclusão: Este estudo mostrou que a calcitonina pode ser um analgésico útil em diferentes condições de dor. A calcitonina pode ser considerada um tratamento elegível para as dores agudas relacionadas a fraturas vertebrais e uma opção viável para o tratamento das dores neuropáticas agudas e crônicas em que outros medicamentos podem falhar. Keywords: Calcitonin, Acute pain, Chronic pain, Spinal fractures, Malignancy, Migraine, Phantom pain, Diabetic neuropathies, Palavras-Chave: Calcitonina, Dor aguda, Dor crônica, Fraturas vertebrais, Malignidade, Enxaqueca, Dor fantasma, Neuropatias diabéticas

IMPORTANCE:. Even with its proclivity for older age, coronavirus disease 2019 has been shown to affect all age groups. However, there remains a lack of research focused primarily on the young adult population. OBJECTIVES:. To describe the epidemiology and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 and identify the risk factors associated with critical illness and mortality in hospitalized young adults. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS:. A retrospective cohort study of the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study registry. Patients 18–40 years old, hospitalized from coronavirus disease 2019 from March 2020 to April 2021, were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:. Critical illness was defined as a composite of mortality and 21 predefined interventions and complications. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations with critical illness and mortality. RESULTS:. Data from 4,005 patients (152 centers, 19 countries, 18.6% non-U.S. patients) were analyzed. The median age was 32 years (interquartile range, 27–37 yr); 51% were female, 29.4% Hispanic, and 42.9% had obesity. Most patients (63.2%) had comorbidities, the most common being hypertension (14.5%) and diabetes (13.7%). Hospital and ICU mortality were 3.2% (129/4,005) and 8.3% (109/1,313), respectively. Critical illness occurred in 25% (n = 996), and 34.3% (n = 1,376) were admitted to the ICU. Older age (p = 0.03), male sex (adjusted odds ratio, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.2–2.6]), and obesity (adjusted odds ratio, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.1–2.4]) were associated with hospital mortality. In addition to the above factors, the presence of any comorbidity was associated with critical illness from coronavirus disease 2019. Multiple sensitivity analyses, including analysis with U.S. patients only and patients admitted to high-volume sites, showed similar risk factors. CONCLUSIONS:. Among hospitalized young adults, obese males with comorbidities are at higher risk of developing critical illness or dying from coronavirus disease 2019.

The next generation of biomedical tools requires reshapeable electronics to closely interface with biological tissues. This will offer unique mechanical properties and the ability to conform to irregular geometries while being robust and lightweight. Such devices can be achieved with soft materials and thin‐film structures that are able to reshape on demand. However, reshaping at the submillimeter scale remains a challenging task. Herein, shape‐controlled microscale devices are demonstrated that integrate electronic sensors and electroactive polymer actuators. The fast and biocompatible actuators are capable of actively reshaping the device into flat or curved geometries. The curvature and position of the devices are monitored with strain or magnetic sensors. The sensor signals are used in a closed feedback loop to control the actuators. The devices are wafer‐scale microfabricated resulting in multiple functional units capable of grasping, holding, and releasing biological tissues, as demonstrated with a neuronal bundle.

Background and aims: One of the most important bacterial species transmitted through the use of aquatic products is Escherichia coli. The main aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of ethanolic, methanolic, and ethyl acetate extracts of green tea on Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Methods: The samples of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes were purchased from the company and an antibiotic resistance pattern was determined. Finally, the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of ethanolic, methanolic, and ethyl acetate extracts of green tea were investigated. Results: The results of this study showed that the lowest inhibitory concentration is related to ethyl acetate extract of green tea against E. coli, while the highest inhibitory concentration is related to methanolic extract of green tea against Listeria monocytogenes. Conclusion: It is worth mentioning that high concentrations of ethanolic, methanolic, and ethyl acetate can be used as a natural antibacterial in fish products.

Background: Temporary crown and bridge materials have to fulfill a couple of important functions within the timeframe between tooth preparations until luting of the definitive restoration. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the color stability and fracture resistance of two fiber-reinforced provisional fixed partial denture (FPD) materials. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study Using a plexiglass mold, 96 bar-shaped specimens (4 mm × 2 mm × 20 mm) were fabricated and divided into four groups (n = 24): nonreinforced composite (NRC) resin, glass fiber-reinforced composite resin (RC), nonreinforced polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and glass fiber-reinforced PMMA. Values of CIEL*a*b* were recorded for all the samples. Then, the samples were immersed in coffee, chlorhexidine mouthrinse, and distilled water. After 1 day and 1 and 4 weeks, CIEL*a*b* values were recorded again and color differences (ΔE) were calculated. All the specimens immersed in distilled water were then subjected to force to measure their fracture resistance. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA, honestly significant difference Tukey tests, and paired t-test (α = 0.05). Results: The NRC group, immersed in coffee for 1 month, exhibited the highest ΔE (17.1 ± 0.69) and the lowest ΔE belonged to the RC group immersed in water for 1 day. The RC group, immersed in water, exhibited the highest fracture resistance. Conclusion: Coffee is considered as one of the most important factors affecting color changes in provisional FPDs, either in composite resins or in PMMAs. Fracture resistance of both composite resin and PMMA FPDs revealed no significant differences between the groups; however, there were significant differences between the nonreinforced and fiber-reinforced FPDs in both groups.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVES: The correlation between pre-operative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics and post-operative clinical outcomes in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) has been widely investigated with different studies reporting varied findings. We conducted a systematic review to determine the association between DTI metric and clinical outcomes after surgery. METHODS: We identified relevant articles that investigated the relationship between pre-operative DTI indices and post-operative outcome in DCM patients by searching PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE from inception until October 2023. In addition, quantitative synthesis and meta-analyses were performed. RESULTS: FA was significantly correlated with postoperative JOA or mJOA across all age and follow up subgroups, changes observed in JOA or mJOA from preoperative to postoperative stages (Δ JOA or Δ mJOA) in subgroups aged 65 and above and in those with a follow-up period of 6 months or more, as well as recovery rate in all studies pooled together and also in the under-65 age bracket. Additionally, a significant correlation was demonstrated between recovery rate and ADC across all age groups. No other significant correlations were discovered between DTI parameters (MD, AD, and ADC) and post-operative outcomes. CONCLUSION: DTI is a quantitative noninvasive evaluation tool that correlates with severity of DCM. However, the current evidence is still elusive regarding whether DTI metric is a validated tool for predicting the degree of post-operative recovery, which could potentially be useful in patient selection for surgery.

Purpose - This study is aimed at analyzing the main drivers of business cycle in Iran and some selected oil producing countries during the 1970:Q1-2015:Q4 period. In addition, the study evaluates causality of leading macroeconomic indicators for each different regimes of the business cycles. Methods - This study proposes a new methodological approach by combining Markov-Switching Vector Autoregressive (MSVAR) and MS-Granger causality approach. Findings - The results show that there are diverse sources of business cycle. Iran experienced higher volatility of GDP where machinery investment and export are found as main driver of its business cycle. Meanwhile, consumer price index has countercyclical effect in all countries. We also find some similarities to the US, the UK, and Canada regarding the probability of a business cycle, number of observations, and the average duration, especially in the first regime of MS-VAR models. The high level of oil price volatility relative to the GDP volatility indicates the power of oil price shock to generate cycles. In addition, the results of the traditional Granger causality test confirm the Markov-Switching Granger Causality (MS-GC) test in all countries except export from the UK. Implication - Identification the main driver of business cycles is very significant to formulate the steady growth path so that the government able to select the most adequate economic policy. Originality - The novelty of this study is the adoption of a new approach by combining stylized facts and MS-VAR and MS-Granger causality to analyze the business cycles in different regime.

The two most important aneurysm types are cerebral aneurysms and abdominal aortic aneurysms, accounting together for over 80% of all fatal aneurysm incidences. To minimise aneurysm-related deaths, clinicians need several tools to accurately assess the risk of rupture. For both aneurysm types the current state-of-the-art tools to evaluate rupture risks are identified and evaluated in terms of clinical applicability. We perform a comprehensive literature review, using Web-of-Science. The identified records (3127) are clustered by their modeling approach and aneurysm location in a meta-analysis to quantify scientific relevance of the respective approach and to extract modeling patterns. We further assess the different modeling approaches according to PRISMA guidelines (179 full text screens). We identify and systematically evaluate four major modeling approaches on aneurysm rupture risk: (i) finite element analysis and (ii) computational fluid dynamics as deterministic approaches and (iii) machine learning and (iv) assessment-tools as stochastic approaches. In doing so, we evaluated ten approaches for their applicability in clinical practice, cost, accuracy, and other characteristics. Assessment-tools receive the highest score in the evaluation of their potential as a clinical application for rupture prediction due to their readiness level and user friendliness. Deterministic approaches are less likely to be applied in a clinical environment because of their high model complexity. This is mainly due to the fact that for a very accurate simulation the aneurysm behaviour, detailed assumptions are necessary, which physicians often don’t have time to reflect on. However, since deterministic approaches consider underlying mechanisms for aneurysm rupture, they have improved capability to account for unusual patient-specific characteristics, compared to stochastic approaches. In addition to the specific evaluation of current models to determine the rupture probability of aneurysms, we show that an increased interdisciplinary exchange between specialists can boost comprehension of this disease to design tools for a clinical environment. By combining deterministic and stochastic models, advantages of both approaches can improve the accessibility for clinicians and prediction quality for rupture risk.